Jeep Wrangler

Comments

The stereo installation for a Jeep is too easy:1. Pop the vent cover by the dash.2. Loosen the 2 screws holding on the center bezel.3. Remove ashtray and remove the 1 screw behind it.4. The radio harness setup is now accessible easily.

There is enough room back there (at least on my 97) to do what you need to do. I still haven't added the XM ready head unit (the one that needs no external adapter. I may just add the same setup I have on my other car (Alpine external thing and hook the antenna to it). It would go under my driver seat (jack is under passenger).

We may add XM to some of our other vehicles, but that would be done with a Roady type setup.

By tonight my Frontier should be sold and I will be free to spend some of the proceeds on Jeep accessories. Here's the list of things I have in mind. Please let me know if any of you think I should include anything else or if you've had a bad experience with any of this stuff. All of it is probably going to come from Quadratec. Keep in mind my off road plans are beach sand and fire roads. Nothing too wild. Yet.

I think that's everything I'm considering. I have a CB that's basically a handheld with an external antenna and I'll be adding a ham radio at some point. Maybe now if I decide to spend a few hundred dollars more.

Good Choices - Congo Cage and Utility Cross Bars (to carry the Hang Glider)Hidden Hitch 2" Receiver Bike Rack ComboGorilla Wheel LocksRecovery Strap 4x4 Tire Pressure Gauge (with release valve) - get the Currie one - it pulls the valve stem inside so it deflates quickly.Mopar Front Tow HooksReceiver Tow HookHi-Lift Jack - stock jack sucks and you run the risk of the vehicle falling, like my WJ did the other day when trying to bleed the brakes. THe hi lift jack can also be used to help get you unstuck if you have a recovery strap - it just takes longer.

So soNovus Plastic Window Polish Kit - good idea, but Maguire's may be a better choiceHi-Lift Loc-Rac - you can mount this yourself cheaply inside like TSJAY does. It is out of the way and out of the elements. Being out of the elements keeps it cleaner and keeps junk from getting into the working parts.

Those are just 2" conduit clamps mounted to the roll bars. My buddy at work came up with the idea. This is a very cheap and very good way to store your hi-lift.

You have to drill a hole in that little end piece of the jack for the bolt to go through. Drill it as far toward the tip as you can. You use a bolt with a jam nut to make a sort of stud bolt to secure the jack.

You have to detach the base in order to store your jack like this, but that's not a big deal. There is just one cotter pin that holds the base onto the jack shaft.Tom

Looks like a good list. I wanted to throw in my .02 on a couple of things:

- I found that a 2" x 30' (min. 20k lbs) strap is a good first one. Long enough to reach into most stucks,but not too long to be a hassle. Be sure to get one without hooks, just the loops of material on each end.- Hi-Lift - a great tool, but can be extremely dangerous. Be sure to read the directions carefully. For me, it's not a replacement for the bottle jack, but a last resort tool. To be used as a poor man's winch will require some additional lengths of chain and a hook adapter for the foot.- Novus polish - works really well on light to moderate scratches. Requires much elbow grease to get out heavier scratches. I picked up a set of spare windows (used and cheap) for trail use in cold months.

Other items (cheap) I'd suggest picking up somewhere along the way. The first 5 I keep in every vehicle we have:- first aid kit- waterproof matches- flares (double as firestarters:-) )- space blanket (funky aluminum ones)- .99c poncho- ammo cans from military surplus store. These are cheap waterproof storage and can double as a stable jack base in soft sand or mud. The small ones are less than $5 eachand the medium ones are less than $10. I keep separate ones packed for offroading or camping and can just load the ones I need, comfortable that I have everything.- at least 2 ratchet straps and a handful of good bungee cords. I found that these have been used more than I'd expect and it's always handy to have them in the Jeep. Coupled with a fold up tarp,the bungees can help make an impromptu awning at the peach or a picnic.- tire patch kit. Most useful if you have a compressor handy, but again,somethign I've used twice not expecting to need it (someone else had a nail in thier tires. We were able to patch it and not lose too much air in the process.

Jeeps actually have a lot of "hidden" storage if you look around. Most of my essentials don't take up any visible room.

Now that I have the Unlimited with the Sunrider option, I keep a hat with a brim for keeping the sun out of my eyes in the vehicle. I know, kind of a dumb thing, but definitely useful when the sun is above the visor (or below it for that matter).

You should always use a bottle jack for any job that can be done that way. Simply changing a tire, for example, would be a bottle jack job.

You use the Hi-lift when you need to raise the body and frame of the Jeep.

I hadn't bought my own yet at the time, but someone else in the group had one when I needed to put my left rear spring back in. It fell out when I got jerked out of a "stuck" situation where the left rear tire was at full droop.

You might be high centered on a rock or something and need to use your Hi-Lift jack to get free.

Also, if you want to install a body lift, you would attach the hi-lift to your rocker guards, assuming you have them (and assuming they are like mine and attach only to the body, not to the frame), and you could raise the body off the frame after removing the bolts that hold the body on the frame. You would then install the bigger pucks and longer bolts.

You CAN use the Hi-Lift to change a tire, but you have to raise the Jeep high enough so that you can get the tire off the ground, even with the axle droop you get. This is dangerous. The Jeep is usually very unstable once jacked up on a Hi-Lift.

To answer Tom's comment, I kinda think the Sport would be a smoother ride than the Rubicon because the Ruby has mud tires. Those tires are very noisy and aren't suited for pavement. Plus the Ruby is heavier, and I'm a minimalist when it comes to curb weight.

Given that I want one do-it-all vehicle, I need something that I can live with on a daily commute.

Just to ram the point home, let me concur with twylie and tsjay.............a Hi-Lift can be extremely dangerous. It can break your jaw, shatter your teeth, break your nose, even remove your eye. These incidents usually occur when lowering the jack, so be warned.

What's your daily commute like? What type of compromises are you willing to make and where? I've found that my Unlimited is a much better daily driver than my Sport. I have a long commute (75 miles one way) that includes a high wind area, lots of high speed freeway with some slow-n-go in places. I didn't mind the Sport but it could be a bit white-knuckled in high wind. It had the heavy duty gas shocks so it was pretty bouncy, and really rocks at one section (has to do with how far apart the expansion joints are and the short wheel base).

The Sport is also noisier than the Unlimited (more padding/insulation in it). While I haven't done any real off-roading in my less-than-a-week old Unlimited, it didn't handle any different (other than the differences between an auto and a manual) on the one dirt road I tried on Sunday.

I think that the Unlimited is a nice compromise and the right one for me to use as a daily driver. If your commute is short and you don't mind the characteristics of the Sport every day (like you don't battle wind most of the time), then the Sport would be fine.

When I test drove the Tomb Raider Edition of the Rubicon, I thought it handled just like my Sport, so if your choices are between the Sport and the Rubicon and you have the money, get the Rubicon. If you want something quieter and more stable, look at the Unlimited.

I paid $25,661 out the door for my Rubicon and it sticker for $29,800. I got the $500 military rebate, $1,000 Chrysler financing, and the standard $1,000 Wrangler rebate. So, if the $26,750 is the "out the door" price, it seems fair.

Well, I faced my first dilemma this evening. I had just passed the last gas station for 35 miles (all uphill) when I noticed my gas gauge wasn't very healthy (less than a quarter tank). On my first tank of gas I put in over 17 gallons about 10 miles after the light went on - so I'm not feeling too good about driving any long distance with the light on. I decide to continue on - the Sport made those 35 miles with the light on once.

But then I hear on the radio that the freeway is closed ahead - well before the next gas station. Hmmmm. The light came on when I'm almost half way in between - do I continue going uphill about 18 miles and hope that there is no back-up at the freeway closure (there are several ways around it)? Or do I turn around and drive about 15 miles downhill, the way I've come?

I played it safe, turned around and ended up only putting in 16 and a half gallons. I'm not complaining too much - it's been windy the last couple of days and I'm driving a new engine. Perhaps the mileage will improve as the weather settles down and the engine breaks in.

Also, the odo said 301 miles. I'm not sure that's accurate - I would have expected around 10-20 miles less, but I'm not exactly sure of the distances between home, where I turned around, and where I got the gas. It looks like I really do need to check the odo's accuracy!

Most people worry about gas mileage for economic reasons, but we Jeepers need to know what mileage we get, so we know how far we can stretch a tank of gas without running out.

Because of the relationship between gas mileage (pretty poor) and the size of the fuel tank (not overly large), we have to fill up more often than most people do. This means that it's important for us to know just how far we can safely count on going on a tank of gas, so that we are not stopping to fill up even more often than we really have to.

Just another one of those sacrifices that we make in order to be Wrangler owners. But, ALL of the sacrifices we make taken as a whole PALE IN COMPARISON TO THE FUN OF DRIVING OUR JEEPS!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

P.S. In Harriet's case, there is even another factor that complicates matters, i.e., the long distances between gas stations on part of her daily commute. Harriet, it sounds to me like you would be a good candidate for a gerry can and a bracket to hold it? Never count on it as part of the equation, but have it there for emergencies is what I was thinking.

Absolutely, all Wranglers are great. I think only like 10 percent of Wranglers are Rubicons. I love mine, but I also love the X with the half doors and the 28 inch tires. It's cool in a minimalist sort of way.

That is what I had, but determined it was TOO minimal. Now I'm at an SE with half doors and 30" tires (Canyon wheels).

But I love my Jeep. Even a 'minimalist' jeep with little performance mods can do a lot off-road. I did better than quite a few sports and modded CJ's at Camp Jeep. mtngal has seen my Jeep and it doesn't look minimalist anymore.

I agree. It would be cool to have the extra cargo space of the Unlimited, or the extra capability of the Rubicon, or both with the Unlimited Rubi. On the other hand, my X with the half doors and the 28 inch tires is cool in an "I can afford it" sort of way.

BTW, thanks for the comments on my accessories list. I'll probably place an order later this week.

What does everybody think of Armor All? I've used it alot but I've recently heard that it dries out the materials it's used on. What's a better alternative? Especially for the plastic and vinyl interior parts that are likely to see a lot of UV.

Dave, "affording" is a very important thing. Of course, I notice you've already got quite a list of accessories. Don't forget the Husky floorliners. They are by far the best addition I've done so far, and after that, comes the Raingler hand grips.

be sure to get husky liners / not mats. the liners are designed to fit to your jeep floor and have a large lip on the edge to catch, mud, snow, slush, spilled soda etc.

i don't use the grab handle to get in the jeep, but a friends wife was lost without having one to grab getting in. i got the ones from raingler, they are well built and strong.

jts

shop around there is a significant difference in prices on the liners, you might want to watch ebay too, there were some new and used ones on there too, but the new ones were selling higher than i could get them from jeepline.

Just say NO to Armor All. If you want to use something similar in usage, check out 303 Products. They are UV safe and not silicone based. It's the best thing I've found to use on the soft top and dash.

Also, on mats, Catch All makes a molded mat that fits over the carpet and has a lip. The Catch All mats are carpet on top and mine have been muddy/hosed/scrubbed/dried many times and still look decent. I drive barefoot most of the summer and like the carpet under my feet.

The Unlimited made the LA Times - 1st page of the Highway Section today. I thought the review pretty accurate - if you want luxury, don't buy a Wrangler of any sort.

I've thought about getting a gas can and a bracket for those times I'm wandering in the desert (it can be a long way to the next gas station, which is often Baker, CA and they have the most expensive gas in California there, I think) but I wouldn't want to carry extra gas as a regular thing - there are too many crazy drivers on the L.A. freeways! In fact, the reason they had closed the I5 yesterday was an overturned big rig hauling diesel fuel; they had the freeway closed both directions for several hours trying to clean it up.

Paul's Kermit is definitely one nice looking vehicle. I love his rocker panel protectors with the bars for steps. I keep thinking about getting something like that for my NBS. And he has all the electronic "toys" you should find in a Jeep - including a GPS device that made me jealous - now I want one.

I agree a gas can in Cali traffic could potentially blow up in your face, pun intended.

You can get some nice spare tire carriers that integrate a gerry can (or two) behind or next to the spare tire. That would be what I recommend for your trips to Vegas or playing on the trails. Otherwise, you can leave the cans out for daily driving.

As for the GPS, it was fun to install and run the wiring so it is hidden (I HATE visible wires). The CB was a challenge (especially since I had already installed the Tuffy Security Console. If you want to install the 75WXST CB, install it BEFORE finalizing your security console install!!! I definitely consider the CB and GPS as essential if you are going to be backwoods and/or wheeling somewhere. it is nice to see where you are and where you've been in case you have to backtrack. The CB make trail communications SO much easier (thanks TOM!) but gives you a chance to radio for assistance if you have big problems.

I still plan to rerun my antenna wiring through the door. I don't like the way the wiring is looking after having the rear door close on it. I just have to drill a BIG hole to fit the wire (with ends) through. Time to buy some grommets.